Prepaid telephone calling cards have been in wide use for making local and long distance telephone calls. These calling cards are typically sold in fixed value increments (e.g., $10, $20, etc.) at various distribution centers, such as retail stores. Because prepaid telephone calling card services are accessed with access codes (i.e., personal identification numbers or PINs) and do not hence require coins, prepaid calling cards are especially convenient for making telephone calls from public pay phones.
In order to make a telephone call with a typical prepaid calling card, a designated access telephone number (e.g., an 1-800 telephone number) is dialed by the cardholder for accessing an associated computerized calling system. When the call is connected to the calling system, the cardholder is prompted to enter the access code or PIN printed on the calling card. If the access code is correctly entered, the call is connected to a desired destination telephone number, and an appropriate charge is deducted from the account or balance associated with the access code.
While prepaid calling cards have been popular, there is a need to make additional improvements to enhance their usefulness and convenience. For instance, because each prepaid telephone call requires the entry of an access code, call processing is delayed.
Various prepaid telecommunication systems and methods have been developed (see, for instance, U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2001/0028705 A1 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,825,863, 6,188,752, 6,208,851 and 6,236,851). However, these systems and methods are believed to have limited applicability.